A local branch of the AfD has reported on the news service X that the Volksbank Düsseldorf Neuss has closed the party’s account without providing a reason. The AfD Düsseldorf has published the bank’s letter on its social media account, which states that the account will be closed as of March 31, 2025, citing a clause in the bank’s general terms and conditions.
The party claims not to be the only one affected, and a tweet suggests that AfD branches in North Rhine-Westphalia are having their business accounts systematically closed in the midst of an election campaign.
The closure of business accounts is a common practice in Germany, used to hinder or prevent independent journalists and media outlets from operating. This phenomenon has become so widespread that it has given rise to a new term: de-banking.
The measure is now also being used against political parties. Initially, the Austrian FPÖ reported that one of its advisors had his account closed. Now, the AfD is the target of this action.
The closure of an account has immediate and severe consequences for those affected, as it threatens the continuation of their work. While the freedom of banks to make such decisions can be emphasized, it is difficult to believe that the current scale of account closures is not influenced by political factors.